The invention relates to a telecentric relay lens system, particular for producing intermediate images in endoscopes. The relay lens system comprises a centrally arranged collective lens member and, on both sides of said collective lens member collective field lenses in the vicinity of an object and of an image, respectively.
Relay lens systems are employed in various devices such as endoscopes, periscopes and telescopes to obtain a considerable length in relation to the diameter. In order to enable a linking of such relay lens systems a telecentric pupil position is required on both sides of a centrally arranged collective lens member. Such relay lens systems for unique magnification are in optically ideal cases also called nodal point systems. These are required to produce images of the intermediate images which are substantially free of aberrations.
Known relay lens systems have a symmetrical or substantially symmetrical setup. Conventionally, they consist of a central optical system, which may be an achromat (as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,155) or, when higher quality is required and as disclosed in the DD-PS 284 142, Table 3, a double-Gauss lens and of identical field lenses on both sides (side lenses) which converge the principle path of rays for producing telecentry and which are arranged in the vicinity of the object and the image. The field lenses have focal lengths of half the transmission length and, therefore, are of low power.
Previous relay lens systems are without any distortion due to their symmetrical or substantially symmetrical setup. Due to the telecentry and the extremely low inclination of the principle rays resulting therefrom it is not feasible to obtain any distortion worth mentioning by use of the known means, for example by bending of the field lenses.
However, the distortion, of such relay lens systems is desired for some applications, e.g. in order to compensate the basic distortion of the fronted-objective in endoscopes.